Preying on elderly's finances a problem in Big Country, official says

An elderly Abilene woman reported this week that she was a victim of theft after two salesmen entered her northside home and apparently stole a necklaces and two rings.

The woman's case is a small picture of more severe elderly exploitation cases going on not only in the Big Country, but statewide, according to Texas Adult Protective Services.

The agency reports just over 58,000 elderly Texans living at home were victims of abuse, neglect or exploitation last year. Nearly 40 percent of those who committed the abuse, neglect or exploitation were the adult children of the victims, according to the agency.

Some of those cases have hit near home.

In December, Talissa Valerie Lee pleaded guilty in a Stephens County courtroom to a charge of theft for stealing more than $108,000 worth of jewelry from an elderly Possum Kingdom woman's residence. The 41-year-old woman was sentenced to 12 years in prison and is serving her term in the Hobby Unit in Falls County.

As part of her plea, Lee was ordered to pay $90,000 in restitution. Authorities said they cracked the case when the victim reported her offense and police were able to track her items to pawn stores.

Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said other victims aren't so lucky. And sometimes they cannot detect if they've been victimized.

According to the state agency, approximately 1,187 victims of exploitation were reported last year in Texas. However, despite growing awareness of elder financial exploitation, the offense remains under reported, according to a MetLife study published last year. Statistics related to the Big Country were not available.

"We try to train people in the community who work with the elderly on a daily basis, particularly financial institutions," Meisner said. "We do see this in the Big Country."

According to the state agency, warning signs of financial exploitation include sudden changes in bank accounts or banking practices, unexplained or unexpected withdrawal of large sums of money and adding names to someone's bank signature card.

If you suspect exploitation, call 800-252-5400 and file a report. You also can report online at TxAbuseHotline.org.